Tag Lily Dyu

Nature Heroes

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Nature Heroes
Lily Dyu, illustrated by Jackie Lay
Nosy Crow

The author’s follow-up to Earth Heroes, published in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, is an inspiring collection of twenty short stories that celebrate pioneers who are working with nature to save the world.

‘Biodiversity – the rich variety of living things on earth – is being eaten away by habitat destruction, climate change and pollution. ‘ So says Lily Dyson in her introduction wherein she issues a challenge ‘Together we can rewild the world.’ But is this an impossible task?

Not so think lots of individuals, men and women, from all over the world who have dared to stand up for nature; their amazing efforts related herein show that change definitely is possible. A photograph/illustration and an inspiring quote introduce each of them.

Heroes new to me include Titouan Bernicot

who at sixteen years old, when out with his brother, was so horrified by the ghostly whiteness of the coral in his favourite surf spot in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia that he was unable to ignore what was happening. Having been introduced by his father to a marine biologist who had started coral gardening, Titouan offered to help, eventually launching ‘Coral Gardeners’ an organisation he hoped would save their island’s reefs. Today they have seven coral nurseries across French Polynesia and their team of fifty, many of whom are his childhood friends, have planted tens of thousands of corals.

It was great to learn of Elizabeth Wathuti. Liz, as she prefers, was shocked to see that after several years, the trees she and her seven year old classmates had planted had been cut down.

Her mum told her that sections of the forest were felled for timber and new tea plantations. Devastated, she had to do something and ended up with an award, the money from which she founded the Green Generation Initiative aiming to give every child in Kenya the opportunity to plant and care for a tree.This and much more resulted in her appointment as a United Nations Water Commissioner.

These are just two examples of ways in which when we stand together, we can start changing the world. What can you do?

Earth Heroes

jillrbennett Leave a comment

Earth Heroes
Lily Dyu
Nosy Crow

In this timely book from travel journalist Lily Dyu we meet twenty individuals – conservationists and inventors from around the globe who are actively engaged in their work to save the world, to counter climate change and save its humans and our precious wildlife.

Familiar names such as Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough and Stella McCartney are present, and we read fascinating information about their backgrounds and what set them on their paths.

Alongside these are less well-known people whose work is also inspiring: these include Mohammed Rezan, architect of floating schools in Bangladesh; Isabel Soares from Portugal a pioneer of cutting down food waste by persuading people to use ‘Fruit Feia (ugly fruit)

and the ingenious Chewang Norphel who was responsible for the building of artificial glaciers in Ladakh that have transformed thousands of lives.

Great for individual reading or classroom use, Lily Dyu’s engaging text is readable and pitched just right for its intended audience of young readers and cover designer Jackie Lay has provided splendidly designed art with a relevant and inspiring quote to introduce each entry.

Lily’s final words speak to us all ‘ … we need to fight for the planet we love. The future is ours for the making. You too can change the world.’ A powerful rallying cry for sure.